Employers are continuously looking for more and better ways to effectively engage their employees in healthier lifestyles. After all, the healthier the employee, the lower the absenteeism and the fewer the health care claims. Soon there will be a new player in the field, offering an advanced approach to wellness that employers might want to consider.

Personalized Biometric Roadmaps

New bio-tech start-up Arivale will provide its clientele with a comprehensive view of what kinds of food and exercise are right for a person’s specific body and why. Personalized wellness roadmaps will reflect four elements: a person’s genome, blood and saliva, gut microbiome, and lifestyle. This approach exponentially increases the number of data points for analysis and recommendations.

The question for employers is, “Will Arivale’s approach result in better employee health?” CEO and co-founder Clayton Lewis believes so. In a recent article in the Puget Sound Business Journal, he points to the company’s pilot study. Seven people in the 107-person pilot were pre-diabetic before the study began. By the end of the study, they were no longer pre-diabetic. That would lower future claims an employer might have seen for those employees.

Other approaches to wellness programs

In our corner of the country, there are several companies offering various approaches to employee wellness. Bellevue-based Limeade addresses health, well-being, and performance in one solution. Employees undergo biometric screenings and a science-based, well-being assessment that measures six different life dimensions. Based on these results, their employee engagement platform creates a personalized experience for every employee. The goal is to help improve individual health and reduce company health care coss. Among their customers are Puget Sound Energy and Bloodworks Northwest.

Seattle’s Vera Whole Health integrates onsite health clinics, health coaching, and health culture to help companies increase the well-being of their employees while reducing health care costs. Recently, Virginia Mason announced it will open a Vera Whole Health worksite clinic on its Seattle campus.

Similarly, Group Health (now Kaiser Permanente) has partnered with RedBrick Health, an online health engagement company using videos, social media, and incentives, to help improve the health of its own employees and those of its clients. By taking part in biometric screenings and reaching personalized health goals, employees are able to save on their health insurance premiums.

All of which is to say if your company is looking to implement a wellness program anytime soon, the northwest has a number of viable options for you to consider.